Paper Or Plastic Never Looked So Bad

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Eliminating the waste of traditional grocery bags while adding a sense of style to the checkout aisle is the rationale behind Skeeda, a new company specializing in chic, reusable canvas bags. Several cities and towns are considering a ban on the use of plastic bags due to their negative impact on the environment and their contribution to global warming. San Francisco has already banned them. Boston, Seattle, Portland and Baltimore are considering legislation. Skeedas are becoming the "in-style" alternative to outdated waste.

Canton, NY (PRWEB)August 30, 2007

Eliminating the waste of traditional grocery bags while adding a sense of style to the checkout aisle is the rationale behind Skeeda, a new company specializing in chic, reusable canvas bags.

"'Paper or Plastic never looked so bad," according to Mary Beth Sieminski, the eldest of the three sisters behind the company. "Neither is a good choice when considering the environment, global warming, recycling, or style."

Several cities and towns around the country are considering a ban on the use of plastic bags. San Francisco has already done it.

Sieminski and her two sisters, Suzanne Creurer and Sarah Coburn, have designed Skeeda reusable bags, which come in a variety of colors and styles. Skeeda bags are made entirely of cotton and are made in the United States.

Skeeda is an acronym formed from the names of the sisters' children. It's also where interested consumers can go on the web to shop for the new bags (http://www.skeeda.com).

"Skeedas are what people use when common sense and fashion sense collide," said Coburn, the youngest sister. "We've all seen reusable bags for some time, but they've never really been stylish or chic. Skeeda bags allow you to be environmentally conscious and fashion conscious at the same time."

The waste currently generated from plastic and paper bags is staggering. Plastic shopping bags are made from petroleum and do not biodegrade. The United States uses approximately 12 million barrels of oil annually to produce plastic shopping bags, further promoting an overwhelming reliance on foreign oil.

Paper bags are also wasteful contributors to the global warming problem. Forests, which are major absorbers of greenhouse gases, are cut down and the subsequent manufacturing of bags produces greenhouse gases.

"The three of us did an incredible amount of testing to come up with bags that have the right feel, fashion, and functionality," said Creurer. "Now they're sort of like seat belts. We don't feel right if we're not using them."

Skeeda bags are currently available online in seven different styles for $15 per bag. It was also a priority for the sisters to produce the bags in the United States.

"It wouldn't make environmental sense to produce the bags overseas because the carbon imprint from the shipping of the bags would offset the positive effects of using the bags," said Sieminski. "Although it costs more to have the bags made in the United States, it was a choice we made to show people that we are committed to making a difference."